Set Fire to the Rain
by Katia11
Summary: After Cindy and Jimmy break up they agree to meet up in seven years. When Jimmy doesn't show up Cindy embarks on a very unexpected adventure.
1. Promises

I don't own Jimmy.

Happy late Valentine's Day everyone, and no this is NOT a one-shot.

Love, Katie

Promises

The sounds of the people in the crowded airport drowned out every clear thought in her mind. The only thing that kept her tied to peace was his scent. She sighed contently as she rested her against his chest.

"This is it?"

"Yep," he returned.

"Can't we just stay here together?"

"We can't."

"We are going to be on the opposite sides of the country."

"You have a job at a law firm in New York and NASA wants me to go to Florida for a few years."

"Long distance relationships hardly ever work out."

"This way it's a clean break and it's mutual."

"I promise I'll keep you updated."

"You'd better or I will whip your sorry ass," the tears she had been working so hard to fight were now pouring down onto her cheeks.

"I know," he gave her a sympathetic smile as he wiped the tears from her face with his thumb.

"I have a crazy idea, in ten years we meet at the Candy Bar. If both of us are married and happy, good, but if not we'll go out and see where it goes."

"I never guessed you were such a romantic."

She couldn't help but smile as she playfully hit his arm. "What do you think?"

"I think it's a great idea."

"This is the final boarding call for Flight 238 destined for New York."

"That's me," she whispered.

"What if ten years is too long?"

"How does eight sound?"

"Seven."

"Seven it is," she finally agreed.

He gently raised her chin up to look into her eyes. "I love you."

She assaulted his lips with a passionately deep kiss. She pulled away breathless and lightheaded yet so delightfully happy. It was a feeling that only Jimmy could give.

"I love you," it was only with these words that she finally let go of him. He gave her one of his goofy lopsided grins that she loved so much. If she wasn't mistaken there were a few tears decorating his cheeks.

She blew him one last kiss and then boarded the plane.

As they ascended into the sky and she gripped the armrest she could almost hear Jimmy teasing her for her irrational fear of takeoff. Instantly there was a deep pain in her heart.

Their next meeting couldn't come quickly enough.

-x-


	2. Waiting

I don't own Jimmy.

Thanks for the reviews guys. You are awesome!

Yes, this idea was sparked by an episode of Psych.

Love, Katie

Waiting

Everyone in the Candy Bar was staring at her. She just sneered back; obviously they had never seen a well dressed woman before. She was wearing one of her favorite skirts and a sheer grey top embellished with lace and her favorite pair of pumps. She tapped her toe impatiently as she waited for her Purple Flurp. Seven years had sure changed a lot but this silly soda was still by far her favorite drink.

She was now a major partner at a law firm in New York and had several high profile cases. She had prosecuted the case against the Mayor's wife and she'd won. She had also recently ended her highly publicized relationship with the Emmy nominated actor Kingsley Fret.

Maybe that's why they were staring.

She really wished that Jimmy would get here and make her feel a little less uncomfortable. It also might make the annoying butterflies in the pit of her stomach go away. If her partner Jackson could see her now he'd totally make fun of her. She was losing her cool and soon she was going to take it out on some innocent bystander. Of course her passion was one of the reasons that she did so well as a lawyer but it also tended to bite her in the butt. No matter how many times she tried to calm herself it only made the situation worse.

This would be the first time she'd seen him in seven years and she hadn't actually spoken to him in about three or so. At first they had corresponded through phone calls and email and texts. Then it dwindled to just emails and texts then just to emails and then they completely stopped talking all together. But she had followed his career enough to know the basics. He had eventually built something that worked right and he sold it for millions of dollars. He was rich and he had won the Pulitzer in bulk. He was everything that she always knew that he could be.

A familiar tune floated from the Juke Box. The smooth melody brought back images of secret kisses, of laughter, the first time he had said he loved her. All bittersweet memories that she had kept locked away like treasures in the back of her mind. She looked around hopefully but he was still nowhere to be found.

She noticed that it was 1:30. Half an hour AFTER the time she had boarded that plane seven years ago. He had forgotten. Or, maybe he didn't want to see her. Her heart fell into her stomach as she gestured for a third glass of Purple Flurp. She stirred the straw around the glass a few times before finally taking her first sip.

"Cindy Vortex, is that you?" A male voice inquired. She nearly choked. Her heart was back in her throat again. Nick Dean was standing next to her, he looked no different than the last time she saw him. Her heart sank. God, she was like a very hormonal bouncy ball.

"Hey Nick!" She greeted, covering her disappointment fairly well.

"Can I have a seat?"

"Sure."

"You look beautiful, Cindy," he replied as he sat in the booth.

"Thanks! You look pretty good too. What have you been up to?"

"I own the auto shop in town. I do pretty well for myself. Narissa and I got married about a year ago. And we just found out that she's pregnant with a baby girl!" He exclaimed excitedly.

"Nick, I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, but that's enough about me. How are you?"

"I'm pretty good. I'm a partner at a lawyer firm, and I have had some pretty high profile cases."

"I always knew that you'd do well for yourself. How about your love life? Are you still with Jimmy?"

The name almost brought tears to her eyes. "Don't you watch the news?" She snapped.

"I wanted you to tell me."

"He was cheating on me with some supermodel so I ended it."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, he was a bastard."

"You are still the Cindy I remember," he said with a laugh.

"I have to be."

"What are you doing in this little town of ours?"

She squirmed a little bit under his intense gaze. "I was supposed to meet Jimmy here, but I think he's forgotten."

"He didn't forget."

"How do you know?"

"That dude was crazy about you."

"He USED to be crazy about me, but we haven't talked in years."

"Yeah, distance tends to do that to people. I don't even remember the last time we talked."

"I think it was freshmen year. You called me and hit on me."

"I was drunk."

She laughed as the memory came back to her. Jimmy had been trying to distract by running his hands over her skin and planting loving kisses on her lips. At this thought uncomfortable warmth began spreading from her stomach into her limbs.

"Do you still talk to Libby?" He gave a warm smile, indicating he knew that he would no longer talk about Jimmy and she was thankful.

"Every single day," she responded.

"Did she and Sheen ever get hitched?"

"Where are they now?"

"They are in California. Sheen works for some toy company."

"That sounds fitting."

"Totally," she responded.

"Do they have kids?"

"Oh, god yes, they have like ten."

"Got busy right away, huh?"

"They didn't even wait a day."

They both laughed lightheartedly as she finished the last of her drink. Then his phone dinged with a text. His face fell a little bit.

"That was Narissa. I'd better get home. I was supposed to pick up lunch."

"Uh-oh a pregnant girl kept waiting that sounds like trouble."

"It was nice seeing you, Cindy."

"Nice seeing you too."

With that he gave a wave, grabbed the bag of food and walked out the door.

She looked up at the clock. It was now almost two o clock. He was an entire hour late. It wasn't like him to be late. Who was she kidding? Yes it was.

Her stomach rumbled. She needed to eat so she decided that she would order her favorite ice cream to tide her over. Maybe she'd work on some casework while waiting. She pulled her IPad from her purse and opened an email from her most recent client.

-Four hours later-

"Libby, it's almost supper time and he's still not here! He's not coming. I should leave. I look like an idiot."

"Cind, you want to see him. You know you do."

"I have missed him, but people are looking at me like I'm some crazy lady."

"You are kind of famous."

"For all the wrong reasons," she hissed.

"I TRIED to warn you about him, but no you just wouldn't listen to me. He's different, Libby! Those were your exact words."

"Shut it."

"Stay for a little longer. I know that if you miss him you'll regret it."

"I will?"

"You will."

"Oh, fine."

She hung up the phone and dug into her fourth bowl of pecan ripple ice cream. The familiar taste kept her nerves from flying out the window.

Another four hours later

It was dark outside now and the Candy Bar was completely empty save for herself. Cindy sighed as she glanced at her cell phone. It was almost ten o clock.

He wasn't coming! With an angry huff she grabbed her purse and walked out of the Candy Bar. Sam locked the door behind her. How dare that jerk stand her up after all these years? It was infuriating! With a curse she got into her car and drove off into the night.

Across the row from her a man in a black SUV dialed his cell phone.

"Target V is on the move."

-x-

What the heck? Where is Jimmy? Why didn't he show up and who is the guy in the SUV?

:D


	3. Memories

I wrote this while listening to TONS of Florence + the Machine. LOVE IT.

Also, please read and review! PLEASSEEE OR I WILL DIE! Ahem, I mean thank you. Love, Katie

I do not own Jimmy Neutron. P.S. Italics= memory

Memories

Cindy sat on the queen sized bed in her old bedroom that had been transformed into a guest room. The pink wallpaper had been replaced with a color that she called "puke green" and the curtains were a blinding bright white.

It was hideous.

The only thing that was the same was the window facing Jimmy's house. At the moment the curtains were open and she could see it perfectly from where she was sitting. Anger bubbled up inside of her again.

Why hadn't he come? Angrily she threw a pillow across the room. He was always doing exactly the wrong things! Even when they were dating he knew how to push her buttons like no one else. Yet for some reason she had waited for hours and hours.

Why had she done that? Only lame people did stuff like that! As she wandered over to the window her mind went back in time.

_It was pouring outside. She sniffed as she sat down on the window seat. This had been a really bad week. She'd done poorly on her Chemistry exam. She'd gotten a pretty nasty head cold, but of course her ridiculous mother wouldn't let her stay home. _

_Today was also her fourth consecutive gigantic blow out with Jimmy in just this week alone. Each subsequent fight only increased in volume and cruelty. Most of the things they shouted at each other they didn't really mean. _

_It was automatic. They had gotten used to hiding behind the masquerade that they had designed for themselves. Libby often referred to them as a pair of idiots running from the truth. _

_But what was the truth?_

_The truth was that their relationship was complicated. _

_Sure, they did homework together, they went on adventures alone together, and they held hands sometimes when they thought no one was looking. But they weren't dating. Yet somehow it got even more complex at the beginning of this year. They got into the habit of having a big fight, and the same day she'd go over to his lab and then they would start making out. Then they would fight again. It was a very problematic circle. _

_Soon she couldn't really keep track of whether she was supposed to like him or not. She knew that this was the reason behind the rise in their fighting. She hated this in between mess. _

_She just wanted them to be something or nothing at all. __She hated that her brain was screaming at her to go over there. With an angry grunt she got up to get ready for bed. She had just gotten to the bathroom when there was a loud crash coming from her room. _

"_CYNTHIA! What are you doing up there?" She heard her mother's voice coming from downstairs. _

"_IT WASN'T ME, MOM!" She screamed back as she hurried back to her room. When she opened the door there stood a soaking wet Jimmy._

"_What the HELL, Neutron?" She hissed as she closed the door behind her. _

"_Sorry! I miscalculated the-"_

"_I don't give a crap about what you miscalculated! I want to know why you are making my room a mess!" _

"_Someone is in a bad mood."_

"_What can I say? I need my sleep."_

"_Cindy," he started, but she interrupted him. "What is it with you thinking that you are just so great that you can just pop on over whenever you feel like it?"_

"_Hey! That's not fair!"_

"_Why?"_

"_Because you have been unwelcome in my lab for years. That didn't stop you."_

"_This is different."_

"_NO it is not! Let me tell you."_

"_Oh, yes, please inform this humble peasant, oh great genius!"_

"_Cindy- could you please listen to me?"_

"_You have three seconds before I push you back out the window. 1….. 2…"_

"_I AM SORRY!" _

_There was a moment of silence followed by a loud peal of thunder outside and a howl of wind. She just stood there blinking stupidly at him. She hadn't ever heard those words come from his mouth in a long time. When she pulled herself back together, she cleared her throat._

"_What was that?" _

"_Damn it, Cindy, the first time was hard enough."_

"_Get out," she hissed._

"_Fine! I'm sorry, okay?"_

_She crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "Why?"_

"_We've been at each other's throats the past week."_

"_So?"_

"_I've been a jack ass."_

"_Yes, I know."_

"_I just wanted you to know I'm sorry."_

"_If you think I am going to get all teary eyed and gushy on you now, you've got the wrong girl."_

"_I know, I know. You are Cindy Vortex not some chick in a cheesy romance novel."_

"_Exactly, and I'm not going to run into your arms and kiss you senseless just because you apologize for realizing that you are a jack ass. Because I all ready knew that."_

"_Well, there is only one thing to do then."_

"_What?"_

"_Will you go out with me?"_

_Okay, now she was really flabbergasted. She had just insulted him and now he was asking her out? Surely this was some kind of practical joke. _

"_You are joking, right?" She asked with a chuckle in her tone._

"_No," he responded, he had started rubbing his neck nervously. His cheeks reddened. "I just realized that we've sort of had a thing, and I've been running away from it. I don't want to anymore."_

"_What brought on this sudden burst of inspiration?"_

_He growled in frustration, running his hands up into his wet hair. It stuck out in strange positions. With his wet forehead, his clothes clinging to every curve in his body, God, he was handsome._

"_I can't stop thinking about you, okay?"_

"_It sounds like you need to see a shrink, Neutron."_

"_When I see Sheen and Libby I want what they have. I've tried so hard to picture myself with someone else, really anyone else. But, I can't. I want you."_

"_How many times did you rehearse that?"_

"_You like me, Cind, don't deny it."_

"_You wish," she hissed._

"_I see right through you." _

_There was a long silence as she analyzed this strange turn of event. It was like a game of chess, she had to plan very carefully."So, you like me?"_

"_I think I have made that quite clear."_

"_The genius is the first to fold, as usual."_

_He cursed as he moved towards the window. "I don't have time for this."_

_For a moment, Cindy didn't know what to do. It was like her brain had been electrified and turned into mush. Just before he flew out the window, she finally spoke._

"_Meet me at the Candy Bar tomorrow afternoon at four. Don't be late because I'm not waiting for your sorry ass."_

_He turned back to her, grinning stupidly. "Really?"_

_She couldn't help but grin back as she moved towards him. "You are buying."_

"_Naturally," he whispered. Now they were only inches apart. She gave him one last smile then closed the gap between them with a chaste kiss. A shock of pleasant warmth ran through her. She loved the feeling. _

_When she pulled away her heart lurched in protest. "See you later, Nerdtron."_

"_See you later," he returned with a smile._

_With a final wave he disappeared out her window. _

When Cindy came back into the present time she found herself touching her lips. She hated the way his kisses were seared upon her, like a brand.

She stole one last glance at the house across the street then pulled the curtains closed. It was then that tomorrow she'd find an excuse to go talk to Mrs. Neutron. Surely she knew where her son was.

Then she could find him and beat his sorry ass.

-x-

Sorry, this was just filler.


	4. Unpleasant Surprises

Five reviews? Sigh.

I love you all who do read my chapters! Enjoy!

I don't own Jimmy.

Unpleasant Surprises 

Cindy took a long drink of the delicious French Roast she had made for herself. She hoped that it would begin to work its magic on her sleep deprived body before too long. She didn't want to have to explain to Mrs. Neutron why she was falling asleep. She downed the last of the coffee and relished the buzz in her head. She glanced at the clock, it was nearly seven. Her dad would be awake any minute now, and then half an hour later her mother. If she wanted to get a hot shower she'd have to beat her mother who took long showers.

Fifteen minutes later had showered and dressed in her favorite pair of jeans and t-shirt. She loved lounging around the house. Even if her parents drove her crazy, it was nice to be away from the noise and smell of the big city. When she got back downstairs her father had all ready burned through half of the pot she had made for him. She smiled as she wrung her hair tightly in the bright green towel.

"Morning," she greeted. He smiled and raised the mug in his hand as a way of a silent thank you.

"You always make the best coffee. Your mother never gets it strong enough."

"I've got lots of practice, "she teased as she opened a new email as she sat down at the table with him.

"Who are you emailing?"

"Jackson."

"Oh, yes. I've heard you talk about him before."

"He's a really sweet guy."

"You two hook up yet?"

At at this question she couldn't help but laugh. He was always interested in her love life, and always wanted to know who she was in love with. He was actually part of the reason that she'd been able to date Jimmy in the first place. He'd convinced her mother to take a chill pill and to let her date whoever she wanted. Even though his constant questions drove her crazy it was nice that he cared.

"He's gay."

"What about that other fellow?"

"Kingsley?"

"Yeah, that was him!"

"We broke up."

"What an ass!"

"I broke up with him."

"That's my girl." She smiled gratefully at him as he passed the comics section of the paper to her. "Garfield is good this morning."

He gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder and then disappeared upstairs. A few seconds later she heard her mother yelling obscenities. Cindy chuckled as she put on her shoes and went over to the Neutron house, knocking loudly on their door. When she heard Judy scrambling around in the kitchen she realized she should've called first. It was too late now.

Judy opened the door, her hair looked particularly frazzled and Cindy noticed a few streaks of grey in her hair.

"Cindy Vortex, is that you?"

"Good morning, Mrs. Neutron. I'm sorry, I should've called first."

"Oh, that's fine sweetheart. Come on in."

She walked into the house and was nearly taken aback. Unlike her home which had been so altered in the past few years, the Neutron house was exactly the same. She couldn't help but smile. "This place looks exactly the same."

She smiled back. "Would you like a coffee?"

"Sure," she answered.

For a moment, she studied her surroundings. The walls were decorated with lots of pictures, but one in particular caught her eye. In it she was wearing a ridiculously puffy pink dress that had long gone out of style. Her hair was pulled back into an elaborate hairstyle. Jimmy was wearing a tux and she smiled. She had always been a sucker for him in a tux, but that night was worst than usual. He'd just looked so good and she wanted nothing more than to pin him against the wall and rip it off him. She remembered the feel of his warm skin as he tied the corsage to her wrist. She had been about to attack his clueless lips when Mrs. Neutron came in the room.

"Now what can I help you with? Does your mother want to borrow a book or something?"

Her eyes shot open and she realized that the heat she had been imagining again. She turned back, laughing inwardly at the irony.

"I am here about Jimmy."

Judy's eyes widened. Obviously this was not a direction that she imagined their conversation to take. Judy suddenly she looked like she might throw up.

"Don't you know?"

"What is it? What is wrong?"

"Cindy, he's missing."

-x-


	5. Of Talking Refrigerators

I don't own Jimmy.

Of Talking Refrigerators

The words left a foul stench in the air. Cindy's knees felt like jelly as she sank onto the couch.

"What?"

"Jimmy is missing."

"For how long?"

"About two months. He was working on a project. We never really knew what he was doing exactly; he was really secretive about it. Then all of a sudden we stopped hearing from him."

"Why didn't you call me?"

"Honey, you two aren't exactly close anymore."

"So, you figured I wouldn't care?"

"No, I just," Judy stuttered and a tear slipped down her cheek.

Maybe she was being a little harsh. She hadn't talked to Jimmy in several years. It was logical. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Neutron. I'm just concerned about Jimmy."

"I know."

"It is really weird that no one mentioned this though."

"We haven't told many people. He specifically requested that we tell as few people as possible."

Yet for some reason Judy had decided to trust her despite the fact that she hadn't spoken to him in years. Now she was feeling very guilty for how she had acted.

"I'm so sorry," she could feel tears start to build in her own eyes. She tried to hide it, but Judy smiled.

"You still care about him, don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"Can I ask what brought on this sudden interest in where Jimmy is? You haven't dropped in before."

"We were supposed to meet up yesterday," she answered honestly. "I waited for hours and he never came. I came to make sure that he was okay."

"Honey, I'm so sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. You must be so worried."

"Do you think you might try to get a hold of him?"

"I would have no idea where to start looking. Wait! Does he use his lab for anything?"

"I think he stores some of his old inventions down there."

"Maybe I will poke around if that's all right."

Judy nodded in agreement. "Do you still remember how to get in?"

"Yes."

"Let me know if you find anything."

The lab looked exactly the same on the outside. She wondered if the inside was the same too. She pulled out one of her hairs and held it to the DNA scanner. He had incorporated her DNA into it years ago.

"This way I don't have to waste time letting you in," he had said. She knew that it was really because he was sick of her bugging him about it.

For a moment the scanner did nothing and she was afraid that Jimmy had switched it back.

"Welcome Cindy Vortex."

She didn't even have time to prepare herself before she began to fall down the long orange tube. A second later she hit the floor with a loud thud.

That would surely leave a bruise.

She rubbed her bottom as she stood slowly onto her feet. The lab looked completely different. There was no noise of running inventions or the familiar smell of metal and chemicals. There was no Jimmy or Goddard to welcome her, only the empty echoes of her footsteps. Vox even seemed to be off at the moment.

Cindy smiled as she spotted her high school graduation photo in a frame just beside the chair where Jimmy used to work. He obviously hadn't been in here much maybe he had just chosen to ignore the picture. She sat in the big chair the soft fabric familiar to her. She smiled as she remembered the time that she had pushed Jimmy into the chair and attacked him with kisses. That was the summer after their last year of College when...

Her heart wrenched.

It was not long after that she received the call about the opening for the job in New York. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. She instead they broke it off and she moved to New York.

There was a pain in her chest.

Just then Vox sprang to life. "Welcome, Cindy."

She couldn't help smiling at the recognition from the computer. "Hello, Vox. Does Jimmy have a cell phone?"

"No."

"Does he still have Goddard?"

"Yes."

"Track him for me."

"He is not showing up. He must have been deactivated for some reason."

"Wherever Jimmy went, he really didn't want anyone finding him."

Vox began to whir loudly then a loud siren began to sound. "Caution! Caution! Fans are overheating!"

"What?"

The screen went blank and Cindy was stuck at square one. She angrily pounded on the computer keyboard. Had Neutron set this up? Had he programmed Vox to shut down if someone started asking questions? It certainly seemed like something he would do. Her eyes found the picture of herself at his desk. She was going to find him.

She'd have to tell Mrs. Neutron that she'd had no success. She really wasn't looking forward to that.

With a sigh she started towards the exit. Just before she could leave she heard a strange noise coming from the other side of the lab. It almost sounded like someone was saying her name. It was mostly dark but she had to find out what that noise was.

The corner was dark and there was nothing around but Jimmy's old refrigerator that hadn't worked for years.

"Open me," the voice she had heard was coming from INSIDE!

"Oh great now inanimate objects are talking to me! I've really lost it now!"

"Not arguing there," then refrigerator began to rattle and then before she could comprehend what was going on, she was sucked into it. She was falling, falling, and then suddenly she landed onto a chair and the impact almost knocked the wind out of her.

Her heart was beating at a million miles an hour. She let her eyes adjust. The room was dark but now she could see that there was a group of people sitting around a table. With her chair at the head of it.

"Cindy Vortex?"

"What the hell is going here? Where am I?"

A man stepped out of the shadows. His hair had grayed significantly since the last time she saw him but she knew him anyway. A sixty year old Jet Fusion was standing in front of her.

"Welcome to B.T.S.O Headquarters, Washington D.C."

-x-


	6. Thea

Thanks for the encouragement, guys. Just so you know I won't give up on these stories. I've got some good stuff up my sleeve. Hopefully this clears up all your questions. And so, the plot begins!

Love, Katie

I don't own Jimmy.

Thea

She was going to wake up from this strange dream any moment now. She gave her arm a light pinch but nothing happened. Jet was smiling at her and she couldn't make any sense of what was going on. If someone had asked her what two plus two was she would probably say five.

"Where am I again?"

"I thought Jimmy said she was smart," one of the mysterious figures around the table added. Cindy noted that it was a female voice.

"Shut up."

Jet laughed. "Well, you've got spunk! That's good! Miss Vortex, this is the Big Top Secret Organization headquarters in Washington. You are here because our best agent Jimmy Neutron is missing."

"What do you mean by _agent_?"

"He's a spy, duh," the now very annoyed female voice interrupted.

Okay, she was sure she was dreaming now. "Hah! Yeah right! Is this some kind of practical joke?"

Jet shook his head. "I can assure you that this is no joke. Jimmy has been working for us for years. How else do you think I knew him? Jimmy and I worked together once before on a big mission. He saved me from the clutches of that beautiful and perfect, I mean, Beautiful Gorgeous."

"Are you saying that he was a spy way back then?"

"Of course he was! Now if you would stop asking questions I can explain further. Agent Neutron was working on a top secret project for us. I can't even tell you what it was. All I can say was that he was last headed to France. You should also know that normally we don't recruit newbies for Priority One missions like this."

"What about Neutron?"

"He was an exception to the rule."

"I can assure you I am just as worthy as Neutron."

Jet glared at her and she shut her mouth. A screen dropped down from the ceiling and then Jet pressed play on the screen. A moment later, Jimmy was on the screen. Her heart did a leap into her throat. His hair was still styled the same old way of course, but he was well tanned, his arms were built and he was wearing a deep blue shirt that matched his eye color exactly.

He looked good. No scratch that, he looked REALLY good.

"Agent Neutron here," his voice was rough and deeper then she remembered. She felt like the room had started on fire. "I don't have much time. I've been captured. Contact Thea, A.S.A.P. And Jet, she will need as much help as she can get because this is pretty messy. I want you to contact Cindy Vortex. I know she'd be a newbie, but she's smart and resourceful. She'll be valuable."

"HEY! Who are you talking to?" A voice yelled. It was garbled, but Cindy could tell that it belonged to a male.

"Oops, got to blast!"

Once the feed ended Jet turned to her. "That was the last thing we heard from Agent Neutron. That was two months ago. We did have a tracking device installed in his brain, but it was deactivated."

"Why in the hell did he want me?"

"We believe that you may know the person who captured him."

About a million different faces came to mind who hated Jimmy. He wasn't a very popular guy.

"He has a lot of enemies."

"That he does. So, do you think you are up to it? Just so you know, this is a dangerous mission and you may not come back alive."

"What about work?"

"We'll take care of it."

"Will I be working alone?"

"No, you will be working with Thea. She was often Agent Neutron's partner during his missions."

"Who is Thea?"

"I am Thea," said the female voice that had mocked her earlier. Then a woman stepped from the shadows.

The first thing Cindy noticed was her almost inhuman beauty. Her hair was a beautiful silver color, and her lips were a deep red. She was wearing all black and had a gun holster strapped around her middle.

Cindy instantly felt like she was about the size of an ant.

"What do you say, Cindy?" Jet asked again.

"I suggest you think carefully about the next words out of your mouth," Thea hissed.

This Thea woman was making her very mad very quickly.

"You've got yourself a spy."

Jet beamed as she shook his hand. Thea cursed loudly and pushed some papers off the edge of the table and then disappeared into the shadows.

"You'll have to excuse Thea. She's one of our most experienced agents. She doesn't take kindly to newbies, or really anyone for that matter. Now if you will follow me, I believe Professor Crank Junior in the Equipment Lab might have some useful tools for you, kid."

She pushed her chair out from behind her and passed the group of people sitting at the table. She ignored them and followed Jet out the doors. The building was dark and it was hard to see much of anything. They arrived at an elevator and she followed Jet inside and he pressed the button labeled BASE.

"By the way, I think I should warn you about Thea."

"Oh, don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"Jimmy did mention that you were good at martial arts."

"He talked about me?" The question sounded lame and a little desperate. She instantly regretted it.

"I can see that I'm not the only spy who leaves a lasting impression on the ladies," Jet chuckled.

The elevator doors opened and she was able to avoid a very awkward situation. A man about her own age was standing in front of her wearing a white lab coat.

"Sit back, Miss, and prepare to be astounded! First up, a sonic pen able to do just about anything you need it to. Second, we have a hovercraft designed by our very own Agent Neutron, which you and Agent Thea will be traveling on together. And finally, I have a neural override that is able to knock any person unconscious in ten seconds flat," he passed her a plain silver keychain with the pen attached to the end and a small metal sphere. "You point that at your target and you push on it," he said gesturing to the sphere.

"Thanks, but no thanks," she said, unhooking the small awkward looking object from the keychain. "I all ready can knock people out."

"I'm sure you are just kick ass," he muttered beneath his breath and then disappeared.

"He is just like his father," Jet remarked to Cindy. "But you did better than Jimmy."

"This doesn't seem like a lot of weapons to me."

"You have your martial arts, and Thea has all ready requested the advanced weaponry."

"Oh, she sounds great."

"She's just looking out for you. She could be like most agents and not give a crap about what happened to you and let you take unnecessary risks."

"And Neutron could do this by himself when he was ten because?"

"Stop comparing the two situations. They are radically different. God, he mentioned you two had a rivalry but nothing like this."

"Why are they different?"

Jet huffed in frustration. "Thea will be calling on you very shortly. I can assure you, Miss Vortex. Now you must not speak a word of this to anyone. Just tell people your great aunt died or something."

With that she was being sucked back up by some an unseen force and then she was back in the lab. Had that seriously just happened? One thing was for sure, the keychain with a pen attached to the end of it was still in her hand.

She was a secret agent!

-x-


	7. Child's Play

Woah guys, sorry for the wait! Thanks for the reviews, faves and alerts! Hope you enjoy! It's kind of short but it sets up the next few chapters. Love, Katie

I don't own Jimmy. But I do own Thea. HECK YES.

Child's Play

It had been over a week since she had been taken to B.T.S.O Headquarters and she hadn't heard anything from Thea. At first she had spent every day on her guard with all of her things packed. Then after another few days she figured that Thea must have conveniently forgotten about her.

If that was the case she had told a lot of lies for no reason. She told Mrs. Neutron that she found nothing. She told her mother that she was going back to New York and wasn't sure when she'd be back. She told Libby that she would be unable to talk for a while. None of them had taken the news very well. Mrs. Neutron had cried, her mother had screamed obscenities at her and Libby had asked her lots of questions that came uncomfortably close to the truth.

As almost on cue the doorbell rang. Cindy ran downstairs not wanting to answer thousands of questions. But her mother had obviously beaten and Thea was standing inside her house. She was wearing the exact same thing she had been when she last saw her, with her gun protruding proudly at her side. Her mother looked from Thea to Cindy then to Thea again.

"Cynthia, this young woman says she's here for you."

Oh this was just great now she had to come up with more lies! "She's a friend of Jackson's from New York," certainly her mother would buy that because she believed everyone in New York was crazy.

"Yeah," Thea replied. "I'm a friend of Jerry's."

Cindy glared at the woman who just ignored her as she chewed her gum loudly. "**Jackson**," she corrected.

"Whatever," Thea commented.

"Are you in some sort of trouble, Cynthia?"

"No."

"This girl has got a gun."

"She's eccentric, what can I say?" This finally got Thea's attention.

"Now if you don't mind _Cynthia_- we don't have a lot of time on our hands."

"I'll be right back down, Thea."

She hurried upstairs and packed her things into the duffle bag she had brought home and made sure that the little keychain was safely inside her purse. When she came back downstairs her mother and Thea were sitting awkwardly in the living room, Thea was looking at an old photo book and her mother was staring at Thea.

"Ready?"

"Ready," she answered.

"Okay let's go then."

"See you later mom."

"This is it? No warning whatsoever? This weirdo comes in and takes you away?"

"Sorry mom, it's hard to explain." Her mom frowned skeptically. "I'll call okay?"

"Fine," she hissed.

Thea popped her gum again. That was going to get very annoying very quickly. She gave her mom a quick hug and then followed Thea out into the street. A jet black Lamborghini sat in her driveway.

"You couldn't have been a little more discreet?" Cindy hissed.

"Nah, I thought I would have a little fun with your neighbors."

"Aren't you supposed to be my role model?"

"More like trainer. Now we have a lot of work to do and not much time to do it in."

"Hey! It's not my fault you waited until the last minute to do this. Hold it, what do you mean by a lot of work to do? I am in shape."

"In shape isn't good enough. We need to train in you in fighting skills."

"I can do martial arts thank you very much."

"Martial arts won't do you much good against a gun."

"Gun?"

"Yes. Your adversaries will have guns and they will kill you on site. This isn't child's play anymore, Cynthia."

"Cindy," she quickly shot back.

"I'll call you what I want to call you."

She glared at Thea who started the car with a roar.

"So where are we going?"

"I knew you would ask that. First we go to D.C. to headquarters where you'll train vigorously with me a few days and then we'll get going on the mission. Starting from the most recent location where Neutron was."

"Do I get to know where we are going?"

"Need to know information and I'm afraid that you just don't need to know."

This girl was being a total jerk! It made her wonder about her history with Jimmy. But Cindy decided against asking. It was an uncomfortable topic for her and it wasn't worth it.

"Hopefully you brought some pain reliever because these next few days are going to be hell. I'm going to make sure of that."

-x-


	8. Cindy Snaps

Cindy Snaps

Every inch of her body hurt. Every single inch burned. She rubbed her hands against her calves and groaned as she fell back onto the very uncomfortable cot. After three days of intensive training she felt like she had been walking through hell. Climbing over walls, hundreds of pushups, curls and punches to a punching bag. She swallowed an Alleve and hoped to God it would help. She'd been called every horrible name on the planet all while trying so hard to do exactly as Thea said. The one good thing was that she'd finally learned how to fire a gun.

She let her mind wander. What if someone was hurting Jimmy? What if every day she was 'training' he was slipping farther away? What if he was dead? They were wasting precious time!

No, she couldn't let herself think like that. She had to have hope. Hope was the only reason that she accepted this stupid mission in the first place. She was doing this for him. Everything was for him. Because she cared about him and he was counting on her. That was the only reason she hadn't punched the frickin' lights out of Thea.

Just then her cell phone started ringing. THEA the caller ID read.

"Hello," she answered apathetically.

"You need to come down here."

"But our session isn't for another fifteen minutes!"

"Now, Cynthia."

Cindy sighed. "Fine, I'll be down."

The other end went dead as Cindy put her phone back on the small dresser that she was given. She tied her hair back into a ponytail and threw on a pair of tennis shoes. She ran down the hall to the elevator that took her down into the main training arena. There was a huge track, several climbing walls, a huge obstacle course on one end of the room. Thea was waiting by the track.

"You need to run."

"But-"

"When I say do something, you need to do it. I will not be responsible for you dying."

"How many times do I need to go around?"

"Until I tell you to stop," she answered.

"What?"

Thea smiled cruelly. "Go," she whispered.

Cindy felt like ripping her eyes out but she began running. Her feet pounded against the track.

"Faster! You can't go at the pace of a turtle when there is someone trying to kill you!"

"I am going as fast as I can!"

"Go faster you little turd!"

Cindy sped up despite the fact that her body was fighting against her so hard. Several laps later, Cindy was starting to feel dizzy and disoriented. She was thirsty and her stomach was nauseated. She tried to fight the feeling. Tears started to form in her eyes. Then she felt the vomit climbing up her throat.

That's when she threw up all over the track. She was used to it. She'd done at least a dozen times before.

Thea emerged from the shadows, her arms crossed over her chest. Thea laughed callously, "You are such a wimp Cynthia. Why of all the people in the world did Neutron specify you? You won't be any good to me. No matter how much training I put you through. You are useless."

THAT WAS IT.

Cindy looked up at Thea and wiped her face. Something was bleeding but she didn't care.

"ENOUGH!" With that she flung a punch at Thea. But Thea was expecting it and dodged.

Thea threw the next swing, but Cindy dodged it. Then Cindy decided that throwing punches just wasn't enough. She threw a kick at her. Thea dodged and reciprocated with a left handed jab to her face. This time it hit her. Cindy growled and swung at Thea, and finally her fist made contact with her face.

"Lucky hit, Vortex!"

Cindy screamed as her fingers dug into Thea's scary perfect hair. "I am going to destroy you!"

"GIRLS! That's enough now!" Jet was screaming at them pulling them apart.

Both women were glaring at him now. "You two have to get along."

Cindy growled as she wiped her face of some of the blood that was emanating from her mouth.

"What do you want, Jet?" Thea hissed.

"It's time."

Cindy was immediately intrigued.

"She's not ready."

"You have already gone over schedule, Agent. That's the end of it."

Thea groaned and glared at the elder man. "Fine, but don't expect me to take the blame when she gets killed."

Jet sighed and gestured for them to follow. In his office a large map was pulled down. A large red x was over Paris, France.

"This is our last recorded tracking of Neutron. After this, we lose him. So I want you ladies to go to our base there and start digging around. "

"We're going to Paris?"

"We aren't going for fun, Vortex."

Despite the smart ass remarks of her mentor, Cindy couldn't help but be excited. Paris!


	9. Memories Of Paris

So, another character enters the story and something important happens in Paris. I don't own Jimmy.

Memories of Paris

The airplane was quite small. She took a deep breath trying to settle her nerves. Sure, she was a lot better than she used to be. But take-off and landing still were very unsettling.

As though Thea could read her mind she sat across the row from her grinning. "Still afraid of flying I see."

"I am not afraid," she argued.

The plane began to shake as it sped up and Cindy gripped the arm of her chair tightly.

"Sure you're not," her words were dripping with sarcasm.

"I can control it."

Her stomach lurched as the wheels left the ground. Her grip was so tight her knuckles were white and Thea was laughing at her.

After what seemed like an eternity they were stable in the air. Thea was grinning from ear to ear. "Well that was entertaining. But I'm going to sleep now. You should too. We have a long journey ahead of us.

"Of course," she answered.

Thea put on a large pair of headphones and leaned back on her chair.

She fumed. If Jimmy was still alive when she found him she was going to kill him. She reached into her own bag and found out some NyQuil pills. She swallowed them and rested back in her chair.

_She was in Paris. The noises of cars and people filled the street. She was speechless._

"_So, what do you think?" Jimmy asked nervously. "Cindy? You've been staring at me for the last ten minutes. Are you all right? I really thought this was a good idea. I know how hard you worked on your finals. I thought you'd like it."_

_She took his hand and hers and squeezed it tightly. The familiar warmth spread from her fingers to her toes. "It's amazing."_

_He grinned squeezed her hand back. "I'm glad. I've been planning for months."_

"_I knew you were up to something!"_

"_You are always so perceptive, Vortex."_

"_You bet your sorry ass I am," she teased back. _

"_So, what should we do first?"_

"_I know!"_

_They ate lunch at Tuileries Garden on a blanket. Giggling and flirting causing some of the other people to stare. They went to the Louvre and even went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and shared a kiss. It had all been so breathtaking. _

_They had breakfast sitting on the veranda overlooking the Seine. She was in Jimmy's t-shirt and a pair of her favorite comfy pajama bottoms. After breakfast, Jimmy leaning across the table to claim her mouth for his passionately, unable to stop grinning as she dragged him back by his collar into their room._

_They saw Notre Dame, they made love routinely, they fought and they giggled. It had been the best vacation she ever had. _

_The last morning she woke up to see Jimmy was smiling down at her. His hair was messy like it always was in the morning. He brushed a loose bang from her face. _

"_Jimmy," she whispered quietly. "I don't want to leave."_

"_I don't either."_

"_Let's not ever leave."_

"_Agreed," she answered. She buried her face in his chest and listened to his heartbeat._

"_Hey, Cindy?" She was too lost in her thoughts to notice the way his voice trembled. _

"_Mhm?"_

"_I love you," he whispered into her hair. He'd said it a few times before, but never so seriously. So quietly like all the world would fall apart if he had said it any louder. _

"_I know."_

"_No, Cindy I don't think you do," he said as he stood up. _

_She raised an eyebrow quizzically. He walked to his suitcase and dug around in it for a while. Then he came to her side of the bed. _

"_Jimmy, what are you doing?"_

_He turned bright red as he took her hand in his and knelt on one knee. By this time Cindy was nearly hyperventilating. He produced a small box with a pearl ring in it. _

"_Cynthia, will you," but he could not finish whatever dumb speech he had prepared for she had thrown herself on top of him and involved his lips with a crushing kiss. After a few moments she started to laugh. She finally pulled away to give him his answer. _

"_Of course I will you dumb ass," she whispered then grabbed his hand and pulled him up onto the bed. Not giving a damn that check out was in half an hour._

_On the flight home she had hardly been able to think straight. She loved the way the ring glimmered on her finger. She hadn't stopped grinning since that moment he had put it on. She swore that she was glowing from the sheer happiness._

"_How long have you been planning this?"_

"_Since last fall," he replied honestly._

"_Oh, Jimmy," she answered, squeezing his hand tightly. _

"_I was originally planning to just ask at Christmas, but Libby convinced me I should do something really special."_

"_Oh Libby was always such a romantic. I would've said yes even if you'd asked me in Antarctica."_

"_That's a comfort," he laughed._

"_I just meant it didn't really matter when or how. It just mattered WHO was asking," she sent him a playful wink and he reddened. She grinned. She loved that she could still embarrass him. She loved him._

"_Vortex?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Vortex!" He exclaimed loudly._

"_What?"_

_But that wasn't his voice. It was too shrill. _

"Vortex, get up!" Cindy's eyes opened to see Thea scowling down at her. "It's about time! I've been trying to get you up for the past ten minutes!"

"Sorry," she replied. But really she wasn't sorry at all. It had been a wonderful memory and she had been sorry to leave it. She looked at her ring finger and her heart ached to see the emptiness of it. She imagined the beautiful ring back on her finger for a moment. She allowed herself two moments of weakness, then shook the memories from her head and grabbed her backpack and followed Thea off the plane.

Outside waiting for them were an entire group of people and in the front was a tall black woman. She advanced forward and embraced Thea warmly. She smiled at Cindy too.

"Welcome to Paris, ladies! I am Andromeda Malet and I am the head of the French division of the BTSO."

-x-


	10. Numbers

Meep! Do you guys still remember me? Well, here we are! Hopefully there aren't too many mistakes.

I don't own Jimmy.

Numbers

"Well, we had best get to work straight away," Andromeda continued. "Follow me please."

They followed her through several long hallways. The walls were cement and they all had video cameras. After turning around too many corners to count they got to a large metal door and Andromeda held up her eye to a scanner.

"Welcome back Andromeda Malet," an automatic voice said as the door lifted to reveal a rather large room. In the center of this room was a long table where about three other agents were also sitting.

"Where the hell is Jimmy?" Was the first question Thea asked when they got inside. The warmth between these two ladies disappeared.

"He was working on a top secret mission for us," Andromeda answered coolly. "So that information is classified."

"My _dear _Andromeda, may I remind you that my partner has been missing for two months now? Who gives a shit about whether or not his mission was classified?"

Andromeda did not flinch. "I'm sorry, but I simply can not give you those details."

"Then this has been nothing but a wild goose chase!"

"I'm sorry that you feel that way. I told Jet that I would not divulge the details. So you have him to thank for it."

"I bet he thought that you'd come to your senses in person!"

"You know the rules, Agent. I can not divulge a top secret mission. Even if it does involve your _precious_ Neutron."

So they had been involved. Her stomach clenched tightly.

"Shut your face! He is my partner and I want to find him!"

"If he's your partner, why did he take this case without you?"

"I don't know! But I do know that if you don't start helping me soon.. I'm going to have to use force. And we don't want bloodshed now do we?"

"Are you threatening me?"

"I am!" Thea was clear and precise. The silence that fell over the room was thick and heavy.

"You are far outnumbered. Besides, you have that _peon_ with you," Andromeda nodded towards Cindy. She noticed that the fake smile and hospitality had now completely disappeared from her.

"It doesn't matter if I was outnumbered. I could take you all on. You know I could. You'd be left sitting in my dust."

"Agent, I would watch your mouth if I was you."

"Excuse me?" Cindy probed quietly. Both women ignored her so Cindy raised her voice. "Excuse me!"

Finally the two women looked at her, Andromeda raised an eyebrow.

"Neutron specifically asked me to come and so I'm here. I think we all know that he is in great danger. This is wasting valuable time. I think that despite protocol you should stop being such a bitch and help us out. We didn't fly over night just to start from scratch."

Andromeda's jaw fall open. "You have no right!"

"I don't care what I have a right to do. You have to tell us what Agent Neutron was working on for you. That's the only way we'll find him."

Andromeda blinked a few times. "Do our agents not know manners anymore?"

"This one doesn't," Thea answered.

Cindy chose not to give her satisfaction by replying.

"I can't tell you anything," Andromeda repeated.

"Tell us what he _might_ have been working on then," Cindy asserted.

A smirk decorated Andromeda's features. It was as though she had just been waiting for one of them to ask this exact thing."I can see why Neutron wanted you along."

Thea's face was almost purple. It looked as though she was going to explode any moment.

"He might have been working on some threats against the BTSO. He might have been trying to trace where they originated. He might have been close. All of this is pure speculation of course."

"Did he keep records?"

"He did. Unfortunately, they all encoded by Neutron himself. We've tried decoding them with no success."

"Oh great," Thea moaned. "His codes were always damn impossible to break."

"Can I see them?" Cindy asked. Both older agents looked at her as though she'd grown two heads.

"If our top agents can't break these codes there's no way a peon like you could!"

That was the second time this lady had called her a peon. She was going to show her! Show her that she could provide assistance when it came to Jimmy Neutron and his eccentricities.

"I want to see the records."

Andromeda gestured and a man disappeared into the hallway. "I'll let you see them, Agent. On one condition. They do not leave this room."

"Fine," she spat back.

Thea glared at her, but she needed to see them. If this was the way to be do it so be it. A few tense moments passed as the ladies in the room all stared at one another. When the agent came back she took the small leather bound book. The pages were water stained and the writing was scrawling and very hard to read.

Totally Neutron.

_52251825O208185120O919O2085O191135O61518O1O2191914 O919O10211920O1O2181914O_

_920O3114O141520O192015O135_

"I'll have to spend some time with it," she admitted.

"Hah! I'm sure it's more complicated then you can ever guess."

"You are probably right, but it's worth a shot," she sat down at the table and began to think.

"Have you tried every cipher?"

Andromeda nodded.

"Every one?"

Andromeda nodded again. Cindy stared at the meaningless numbers. They weren't longitude or latitude. But what could they mean? What was Neutron trying to say?

"Ahem," a voice said.

She raised her head to see that several hours had passed and Thea had fallen asleep on the table. How much time had passed? How long had she been trying to riddle this out? She rubbed her temple utterly beguiled by her ex-boyfriend's antics.

"I think we need a break for this evening, Miss Vortex," Andromeda stated simply. Cindy did not argue and followed Thea and another agent out of the conference room.

"What do you think those numbers mean?" Cindy asked but Thea did not seem to hear her.

"Here we are ladies," the agent they were following said with a reassuring smile. There was a huge metal door in front of her with the number I on it. Thea lifted her hand to the door and pressed her palm against the door frame.

"Access granted. Welcome Agent Thea," a deep voice said. The door opened to reveal a small bedroom with a bathroom attached.

Thea immediately claimed the bed nearest the bathroom.

"I can't believe this," she muttered under her breath and Cindy tried to ignore her. She began to unpack her things when suddenly Thea snorted. " By the way, I wouldn't get too comfortable if I was you. We won't be here long. Not if I have anything to do with it."

Cindy sprawled out on the bed and fell asleep with Neutron's strange numbers racing through her head.

-x-


End file.
